There isn't enough popcorn in the world

[EarlG]

Liz Cheney told the truth about the election, and for that she has now been kicked out of Republican leadership. She was kicked out by Kevin McCarthy, who said the exact same thing she did about the insurrection, before he spinelessly changed his tune after being summoned to Mar-a-lago by Dear Leader.

Thanks to McCarthy's weakness, two things have happened:

1) The "mainstream" Republican Party, which had a chance to extricate itself from Trump's black hole of failure post-election, has firmly and definitively thrown itself over the event horizon. The "mainstream" Republican Party has chosen to become the party of lawlessness and anti-democracy; the party that believes no election they lose can possibly be legitimate. They are the party of un-American values, and have firmly positioned themselves alongside the likes of dictators like Putin, Erdogan, and Xi.

2) A breakaway faction of anti-Trumpists are threatening to start a third party. If this threat pans out, the GOP is in dire straits. They are already having trouble holding onto their angst-driven base (hence their need to glue themselves to Trump) and splitting their vote between two factions is a surefire loser.

Meanwhile, Democrats are in a historically good position to capitalize on this. Joe Biden's policies are very, very popular, and the Dems are proposing solid, sensible, and yes -- progressive -- legislation that a majority of Americans can get behind. Meanwhile the Republicans are stuck in la-la land, catering to their Fox-addled base with stories about things like Mr. Potato Head getting "canceled" and other childish nonsense.

We have a golden political opportunity here, so let's grab it! Do we really need any more handwringing about how Liz Cheney is ACTUALLY an awful person so let's not get too carried away praising her? We already know that! And it doesn't matter! What matters is that the GOP is slowly but surely ripping itself in two, at the very moment that Democrats are more united than ever.

So when you're out there on the Internets, posting on your Facebooks and your Twitters, please don't hesitate to drive that wedge, and drive it hard.

We've been waiting for years to see something like this, and it looks like it's finally happening.

Pass the popcorn!

[bamagal62]

1. I'm not holding my breath

On the “starting a third party” thing. They don’t have the courage for that.

[EarlG]

5. That's fair

Starting a third party is a big leap. But just the noise they're making is working in our favor. I don't recall a time when the Republicans have ever been in shambles of this magnitude, and with Trump refusing to go quietly, their problems are not going away overnight.

[lpbk2713]

10. True. They don't stand much of a chance of rebranding any time soon.

Not with a 600 pound orange gorilla in the middle of the room.

[AZ8theist]

66. That's an insult to actual gorillas...

[Baitball Blogger]

7. We'll see. There are Republicans who will break away, because they're intelligent enough

to know and understand the path that Trump is taking this country. All they have to do is not vote.

[boston bean]

14. Or not vote.

[48656c6c6f20]

33. In this case we should lend then our courage.

I plan on promoting the idea of a third party anyway I can. I want to see these two rabid dogs destroy themselves. While eating boatloads of popcorn of course.

[Champp]

2. !

[Siwsan]

3. I'm very much afraid our nation is at a tipping point

If these individual states attempts to squash voter's rights protection aren't stopped, and they start mandating that they can toss out results they 'find suspicious' with no validity, the tip will be towards our destruction.

All it would take is enough Republicans to put nation over party, and we could get back to the kind of government that is by and for ALL of the people. I have no hope that will happen but never wished harder to be proven wrong.

[KPN]

47. But even if they did, have Republicans ever been for

all the people? Not in my 70 year lifetime.

[Siwsan]

48. They have never been THIS bad - at least not in my experience

There was a time that at least SOME degree of compromise and rational thinking. Now it's like they are all demon possessed and that demon is named trump*. I mean, seriously - WTF is it that he has to be able to take over pretty much an entire political party and turn it into something the likes of which we have always fought to defeat?

[KPN]

50. Yeah. Well I don't give Rs much credit for

the bits they’ve done in the past. Their policy and politics have consistently done far more harm than good — by a long shot — for working class/middle class people and domestic stability in my lifetime. I don’t pine for a return to comitybeyeern our two parties. They have always played us and always played hardball. They have deliberately, ruthlessly and unwaveringly pursued domination domestically as well as internationally without regard to the consequences for all.

[Siwsan]

51. It's just frightening

To steal a quote: "I'm too old for this shit."

[KPN]

52. It's very frightening. I'm of the mind that we are in the midst of a national emergency. We neef

to treat it as such. If we don’t, we will ultimately lose our democracy.

[czarjak]

63. They're for ALL the rich people?

[roamer65]

4. Just stand back and watch it burn.

🔥

Burn baby, burn.

[Harker]

6. I wonder what McCarthy's 'Howard Beale' epiphany was.

Must've been a doozy.

[uponit7771]

8. THIS !!! 👉🏾 "...don't hesitate to drive that wedge, and drive it hard..."

[lagomorph777]

9. "over the event horizon" - interesting choice of words.

Strange thing about crossing the event horizon. Time freezes; you don't even realize you've crossed it; you're stuck there forever without even knowing it. But an outside observer sees you fall all the way in and disappear. That's weirdly similar to the GQP situation.

[yonder]

42. Nice comparison.

[flying_wahini]

11. Even if they COULD manage to build a 'New' Right wing of the GOP it will be SO

destructive that you will see a LOT more old GOP self immolation events.

Besides I think it is just posturing so that they can squeeze a majority in the House;
The KKKGQP doesn’t stop for anyone who gets in the way. After the midterms any
Self respecting GOP will throw Trump under the very same bus.

[dalton99a]

12. Republicans have officially become the Party of Lies.

Nothing but the Best and Biggest Lies


(Yeah, Cheney herself was a promoter of the WMD Lie)

[cilla4progress]

13. Excellent!

I see this, too!!

[Beetwasher.]

15. Yup, This is NOT "A TRAP"!!

As so many are seemingly saying. It's not some ploy, or clever plan. It's an unmitigated disaster for the GOP and there IS NO WAY OUT FOR THEM. In some ways, it IS a trap. But it's one they laid for themselves and stepped right into and now it's going to consume them.

They have NO options, except to split up. There is NO reconciliation here for them.

[Paladin]

16. Well said, EarlG!

Everybody---grab the popcorn and start driving those wedges.

[KS Toronado]

17. Kenan Thompson is the best popcorn eater

[nclib]

23. I agree.

He is the only one who made me lol.

[PortTack]

18. Kevin is witnessing his own fate! The qgop will never elect him as speaker. They want gym or mtg

[underpants]

19. Awesome. Question-Who becomes there #3 in the House now?

I can’t seem to find that mentioned in news reports.

[leftieNanner]

24. Elise Stefanik

From New York.

[underpants]

49. Oh that's right. I had heard that. Thanks.

[Hortensis]

34. The white male party is replacing an independent female

with another, unthreatening female for appearance. They don't have many to choose from, but this one's presumably promised to be the loyal "girlfriend" (as Senator Mike Kelly thought Cheney was supposed to be) that Cheney wasn't.

[Towlie]

20. Popcorn! Good idea.

 
?

Let them divide that we may conquer.

[mcar]

21. This +1000!

[DENVERPOPS]

22. I suspect there are already

plans being made for yet another January 6th......

This time, it will be much better organized, directed, and (pardon the word), executed.......

And this time all the state's "Militias" will attend, who didn't come last time.....

These same people will also focus on a large number of individual state's capitols.

They have not come all this way, and be this close to their goals, to be turned away from succeeding......

The Dems must not be lulled into complacency by their seeming successes.......

This "New" radical Republican Party will stop at nothing. Period......

[orangecrush]

29. New DOJ, FBI, etc.

Who will be more than prepared for these idiots.

I wouldn't put it past the FBI to stage some of these "events", just to flush them out and make it easier to arrest them.

[Joinfortmill]

25. I second that motion.

[Lonestarblue]

26. If Cheney and other Republicans start a new party, they will also gain Independents.

Many of those registered as independents lean right, but they’re not the lunatics in the Trump base. Those suburban Republicans who voted for Biden would most likely go with the Cheney faction also.

But whatever splits the Republican Party is good for us.

[sarge43]

27. They started a dumpster fire, then jumped in.

This calls for more than just popcorn; let's roast some hot dogs and marshmallows.

[PutGramaOnThePhone]

36. Very nice...

expansion of the tried and true dumpster fire metaphor. The addition of the jumping in piece, makes it a solid move up to the next level, for me.

[sarge43]

44. Why thank you. n/t

[I_UndergroundPanther]

53. i think smores would be a tasty addition...

roasted on the flames of republican fail.

[sarge43]

57. Dessert. n/t

[uponit7771]

55. +1,

[treestar]

28. Democrats are said to be in disarrary

for a lot less.

Hard to believe they are doubling down on the fantasy regarding the election.

[NNadir]

30. Everything he touches dies, but let's hope the loss is limited to his cult/party.

I'm more worried that he has touched our country, which he has badly damaged.

[H2O Man]

31. Recommended.

The pace of the republican party's decay increases significantly when Democrats -- from the grass roots to DC -- put pressures upon them.

[BobTheSubgenius]

32. A splinter party calfing off would be the best gift Democrats could ever receive.

Think of how incredibly difficult it is to get a truly committed (pun intended) Republican to even accept that there might be a new fact they have to acknowledge, let alone completely change their mind. If there is enough division to actually create a new party on the right, each camp would adhere so tightly to "THEIR" Republicanism, it would create a new standard of devotion.

The dedication to "their side" would make rapprochement unlikely for years to come.

[Hortensis]

37. Also our nation. Our nation's conservatives will always

be half our people and must have a party they feel represents them. As we've seen, most will support anything that claims to fill that role if enough of their fellows do.

[BobTheSubgenius]

41. That's an important point.

The phenomenon is very knee-jerk and often not thought out at all, let alone well. It's the ones that can still think that can be worked with, at least to some degree. That intersection point has to be large enough to carry out the nation's business.

I like your phrase "claims to fill that role!"

[Grasswire2]

61. Half our people?

Currently, the GOP is only 25 percent of the electorate.

[Hortensis]

67. Other cons. But I used "half" loosely to refer to conservatives in general.

The problem with "half" is that a smallish percentage of cons actually are too aware and principled to join the rest in just anything they may latch onto, or too contrary, but whatever. If only there were more of them.

[Roc2020]

35. When Biden said there may not be a GOP

by 2024 I thought it was a joke. Turns out Biden may be a Prophet.

[PunkinPi]

38. Me watching them...

[pecosbob]

39. Agreed...they are putting out fire with gasoline

Pull up a chair and have a cool beverage while we watch.

[ibegurpard]

40. Can't get on board with the entertainment value

I see no evidence that there are enough people willing to utterly abandon the Republican Party for the fascists in charge to pay an electoral price.
Where they are entrenched they are further eroding the means to oust them. My state delivered a trifecta to them thanks to the MAGA cultists and they are now busy trying to disempower and restructure our Montana Supreme Court.

[Volaris]

43. Welcome to the 2nd Bull Moose party

The first was pretty progressive, influenced democratic FDR...
oh and by the way pretty much wrecked the gop for a political generation.

Welcome to the Next Generation of FDR politics.

If we do handle this correctly, the next Newt Gingrich wont emerge for at least another 75 years, and when they do, they will complain about shit like Latin American Statehood, a high-speed rail line from SoCal to London across the bering sea, and the emergence of sub saharan Africa as the worlds manufacturing base, and the need for an expanded human NASA presence on Mars.

I WANT that fight. Because we can WIN that fight.

Because while I understand that the current fight is about RIGHT NOW, I want us thinking about the 22nd century (as in, some star trek level shit).

We CAN GET THERE.
but we need to push NOW, for that future reality.

no fear. And if the Liz Cheneys happen to be on board with All That, then they have my support. Because honestly, what is the alternative from maga-world? (they will lose that fight for the future). Know how I know?

Donald Trump bankrupted 3 casinos. He very clearly doesnt understand how future return on investments works. If that's where the Republican party wants to go, LET THEM. Kicking their ass will be a Small Matter as a result.
Just my opinion, YMMV.
VOL.

[GoodRaisin]

45. Rec'd for hope, although it looks like the Anti-Democracy Republicans

have the numbers in their favor, at the moment. But I hope to see the split widen and take legs and it proves disruptive enough to keep us in the majorities in 2022.

Suffice to say whatever I say on other social media platforms will indeed be in support of that outcome.

[Pinback]

59. Peel off a sliver and it helps us a lot,

as Dems are more unified than in a very long time, and expanding our appeal.

[mopinko]

46. i dont even think having the fat troll keel over will help them now.

tho it could. but the fight for succession will be guided by the same powers that put the turd in the punchbowl in the first place.

if he's in prison, there might be a fair fight.

[Glaisne]

54. End the filibuster!

Do it Democrats! Save democracy!

[YoshidaYui]

56. No popcorn .. but close!!! Its also a plant.

[empedocles]

58. Hopefully, 'the Process' will continue to drive 'the wedge',

perhaps even 'splinter' some parts.

[ismnotwasm]

60. Nice!

I’d love see them self destruct

[Duncanpup]

62. Horrific

[BlancheSplanchnik]

64. This'll be great to see the mass delusionists generate their chaos

While the ones not taken in by the Big Lie peel themselves off the rotted core. I can’t wait to see this strengthen Democratic response to the anti-reality KKKGQP.

Butter up that popcorn… 🍿

[Edwcraig]

65. Sorry, not buying that the Republican Party is not united.

We have gone through over 4 years of pundits predicting that Trump would pivot. That a Senator here or a House member there would vote for a Democratic or progressive agenda item. When the vote was cast, the Republicans united almost unanimously to vote it down. And the Republicans polling showed support for these votes. They voted down two impeachments, they 100% voted not to give Covid relief, they voted not to approve the results of the election in support of the treasonous overthrow of our Constitutional Democracy.

These Everett Dirksen Republicans are now and have always been a minority in the modern day Republican Party. (not that the olden day Republican Party was anything to admire) They will be relegated and crushed. When Nixon adopted the "Southern Strategy" embracing and welcoming yellow dog, racist ex-Southern Democrats into the Republican Party the dye was cast. They have been the difference in every election since then and they are and have been the true power in the Republican Party. These elite Republicans, now shocked at the direction of their beloved Party, thought they were controlling this evil within and thought they were in charge. They were not. Trump has empowered the true leaders of the Republican Party and let them take control. They are uniting the Republican Party around its core principles, racism, anti-abortion policies and graft. They are united.

Save your popcorn.

[ecstatic]

68. I think tRump is still blackmailing a lot of them

Notice how they always get back in line immediately after a visit to Mar-A-Lago? 🙄

January 6 the was the perfect opportunity for rethugs to toss trump under the bus. Even die hard trumpers would have understood, but even if they didn't, there'd be nothing they could do if all of the repug members had stood united.